The Pennsylvania House on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of a Centre County representative’s bill that would allow the PIAA to have separate playoffs for public and private high school sports.
The bill, introduced by state Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, passed with bipartisan support by a margin of 178 to 23. HB 41 now moves to the Senate for consideration.
If signed into law, the measure would amend the school code to allow the PIAA to establish separate playoffs for boundary and non-boundary schools. Boundary schools are public schools that can only enroll students who reside within their defined district, while non-boundary schools are private, parochial and charter schools that are not subject to such limitations.
Supporters of the bill have long said that the current system is unfair and unsafe for public schools, as private schools that can recruit student-athletes from anywhere and have largely dominated championships in football and basketball in recent years.
“PIAA’s existing playoff system forces athletes from public schools, which are limited to recruiting from within district boundaries, to compete against athletes from private schools, which can recruit from anywhere and amass larger, stronger teams,” Conklin said in a statement on Wednesday. “The result is unfair, lopsided competitions that leave public school students on a dangerously unlevel playing field, subjecting them to added physical risks and even depriving them of scholarship and recruitment opportunities. School sports are supposed to be about building confidence and teaching kids lessons in fair play, but the current system is teaching all the wrong lessons.”
Act 219 of 1972 authorized private schools to participate with public schools in post-season athletic competition, and the PIAA has previously said creating separate systems would defy that legislation.
“My bill would provide a way to end these increasingly dangerous competitions by allowing the PIAA to establish separate playoffs and championships for boundary and non-boundary schools,” Conklin said.
The legislation would enable, though not mandate, the PIAA to create separate playoff systems. Boundary and non-boundary schools also could continue to compete in the regular season.
An amendment to the bill last week would protect the PIAA from lawsuits if it does establish separate playoffs.
